In its highest single-day surge in deaths, Pune district recorded 14 COVID-19 fatalities on Wednesday. The district also recorded 174 new cases, with four police personnel from Pimpri-Chinchwad testing positive.
The district’s death toll has now risen to 235 and its total case tally (including deaths and recoveries) stands at 4,544. The 174 new cases were reported between Tuesday night and Wednesday evening, Pune District Health Officer Dr. Bhagwan Pawar said.
The number of active cases has reached 2,133, while 2,184 people have been discharged till date. At least 180 of those in treatment are said to be critical.
Sources said a police inspector was among the four policemen to have tested positive for the virus. Till now, while more than 12 policemen from Pune city had tested positive, their counterparts in Pimpri-Chinchwad had remained unscathed.
In Pune division
Elsewhere in Pune division, four deaths were reported from Solapur district, which also saw a rise of 18 cases to take its tally to 461.
The number of cases is rapidly rising in Kolhapur district since the relaxation of curbs on inter-district travel. At least 35 new cases reported on Wednesday took its total to 171.
Kolhapur, which till May 17 only had 35 cases — of whom 24 were active — has witnessed a spike of nearly 140 cases in a 72-hour span. District authorities attribute this to the influx of people returning from red zones like Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Pune.
Along with the fatalities in Pune district, the cumulative death toll in Pune division — which also includes the districts of Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur — has risen to 275. Solapur has reported 32 deaths, Satara two, and Kolhapur and Sangli one each thus far, Divisional Commissioner Dr. Deepak Mhaisekar said.
Hotspot in Aurangabad
Meanwhile, three more deaths were reported from Aurangabad district, which is turning into a virus hotspot.
The three patients were undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Aurangabad. The district’s death toll has now risen to 39, while 41 cases reported since Tuesday evening have taken its case tally to 1,117.
“A 50 year-old-woman died [on Wednesday] at 5:35 a.m. She was admitted on May 19 and her swab sample tested positive after her death. A 55-year-old patient who was admitted [on Tuesday] died during treatment the same evening. The person’s swab sample results had returned positive later that night. An 80-year-old patient, who has been suffering from high blood pressure for several years, passed away [on Wednesday] morning. The patient had tested positive on May 14,” an official from GMCH, Aurangabad, said.
